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uitrit faire getint @ffice IMPROV'ED BUN G.

H. HUFENDICK AND E. SP NGFERG, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. Lettera fuient No. 60,011, dated November 2i", 1866.

, SPECIFICATION. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, Henny HUFENDICK and EUGENE SPANonNsnno, both of the city and county of St. Louie` State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Bung; and we do hereby declare that the following ieee: full and exact description thereof, reference being had -to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon. Of which said drawings- Figure 1 is a top plan. Y

Figure 2 is a bottom plan ofthe cover. Y

Figure 3 is a. top plan of the parts exposed on removing the cover B.

Figure 4 is a top plan of the parts exposed on removing the plate C.

Figure 5 is a central sectional elevation. y

Figure 6 is an elevation ofthe key used in conriection with our improved bung.

The nature of our invention is in the application; firstly, of a seat or socket, sccurcd permanently for the time of use in the stave cfa calsk or barrel, into which the bung is placed and secured, and from which the bungl can be expeditiously removed'without injury to the cask or barrel1 or any part thereof; secondly, in the application vof a key for the purpose of securing or releasing said hung, and otherwise operating thc suine; so long, therefore, as said key remains in the possession of the proper and authorized persons, there beinga security against loss or damage to t-he'ccnteuts of'srrid'cask or barrel; thirdly, in the operation of the parts in such manner that when the bung is secured in place, atmospheric'air can force its way through and into the Cask or barrel, and when said bung is taken out of said position its parts willbc so joined as to be duid and airtight; andlastly, in the arrangement of the lower and inner parts in such wise that air-muy pass them, when the bung is in position, but fluid cannot, and that when the bung is taken out of position all said parts m without'permitting moisture to penetrate and cori-ode the interior.

In order that those skilled in the art may be able to construct and use our improved bung, we ivill now describe its detail, construction, and operation.

We make the cylindrical socket or sent, A; this being slightly conical on its outer rincr surface, and having screw ihre-uds cut thereon, may be rmly screwed into the bung stave of the caslc or barrel. To facilitate this, the lower inner surface, a, is arranged angularly (either square, hexagonal, or octagonal, &c.,) so that a billet of wood fitted therein may be used as a lever to screw the socket home in the stave. Usually the socket A will be cest of brass or iron. The inner edge of its upper face willbe arranged with recesses and projections, (as at a and a,) corresponding to certain projections, b, and recesses, b2, of the cover B. When the cover Bis placed into the scat A, it rests on the shelving projection a3; and the projections a are so arranged thatv by turning the cover B towards the left7 the projections b pass under thc projections-a until the foward edge of bl strikesy the stop, a, 3. This lid B, and the entire bung secured to it, can then no further be turned to the left. The lid B has in its centre the turning screw-nut, b1 s; this screw-nut turns freely in its bearing in B, until the projection b1 3 on said nut strikes the projection 61 3 of B, when, if the 'force continue in the saine direction, the lid and nut will be turned together. In order to turn said nut b, we use the key K, the prongs whereof fit into the recesses bz, 3 of the ay be exteriorly cleansed,

nut b3. Of said ronrfs, the one, c, is cut wcdve-faccd; and in turnin the nut b3 with said kev it is intended p D g Y .v

when by said turning the projections b1 3 and b2 3 touch, so that B being also turned, the entire lid und bung may lift clear of the projections az on A, that then 'said prong kl, passing underneath the projection bij, will, by drawing the key upward, carry upwardly and ont of position the entire bung, thus disengnging thel suino. The screw-nut l53 receives on its lower side the screw c, secured in the centre of the circular plate C. When said screw-nut is turned, the platcs'B and C being held in their relative horizontal position by thc pin e, on C, in the groove bf on B, they are brought closer or forced apart more. In order to inaktu tight joint between said lates, we arran e u on the lower face of B the circular rin b; when, then, B is brcu ht. close to C as afor P g P g g y said, this ring presses upon the rubber ring c, lying on the upper surface of C, between the ring ridges e and c. Now, when the cover B is turned home in A, the recess b' will permit air to pass between itself and thi. shelving a3 of A; thus air passes between B and C; and when B is not screwed down firmly on C, so that the ring L* presses upon the rubber e, air passes into the chamber around the nut e, and through proper holes c to the lower surface of C; here it raises the rubber or leather valve c, and passes into a chamber formed by C and the lowest plate D. The plate D contains the nut securing it to the screw c' of C; said nut, dl, is raised in such manner as to press the rubber or leather of the valve c to a. conoid bearing, thereby aiding its efficiency.

6 0. 011 The joint between vD and C is made by the rubber ring d. In order that this rubber may not bc unduly pressed against C, the plate D has the projectionsfdf, limiting its upward movement. Upon the upper face of D are cut the circular and radial grooves and dfwhen D is forced against C, the rubber packing J" is marlc to partially fill said grooves, so that they will be in a manner capillary vessels. Now, ns the interior chamber around d is filled with air from above, as before explained, this air passes through the inner radial grooves d to the circular groove d, and then through the outer radial grooves alj into the inside of the cask or barrel. It will therefore be seen that whenever the distance betweenthe plates B and C is suoli that the ring 6 does not press on the rubber packing c, air can pass from the exterior into the interior of the cask or barrel. But owing to the capillary nature, diminutive size, and counter air pressure, the inner Huid cannot pass the grooves d5 and (Z, and hence fluid cannot reach the valve c, to corrado it; moreover, tlmteven if Huid could reach said valve, owing to the very pressure thereof this valve would firmly close and prevent its further egress` Suppose the key K td be secured to the bung by its prong, chpassing underneath 62 s; place the bung vertical into its bearing on the Isocket A, turn the key and bung invefr'sly as the hands ofa clock, till the stops a1 3 end the motion of' B; it is then still possible to turn the nut b3 ofB) by said key (turning in the same direction) until the projection bl 5 (of b5) is on the right side of b2 5, (of B,) viewed with the centre of the bung between the observer and said pro jections. But by said 1ast-describe turning motion, the screwc has been moved out of the nut b, s, thereby causing the plates B and C to Separate, and permitting, as before described, the passage of the air between b and c, and into the interior ofthe cask. Thus, therefore, when our Said bung is secured in position, the access of air to the interior of the cask being permitted, the same may be tapped and Huid withdrawn without any additional air openings being made in the cosk. We especially claim that herein we have achieved a marked improvement. inasmuch as by boring 0r punchm air nolcs into easks or barrels, when tapping the same, said casks or barrels are materially damaged. Moreover, it will be seen that in disengaging the bung from its seat, thejusbdescribed operations are reversed, thus bringing the plates B and C in air-tight contact. When, therefore, by said operations, the bung is disengaged and raised out of the seat, it may be washed and cleansed from fluid which stains l its lower surface and might sour the fluids used to refill the cask; and during said washing the inner parts of our said bung remain well protected from moisture. Lastly, we arrange the lrubber packing, d2, so as to form (not only the tight joint between C and D) a joint between the bung and the socket A; to effect this, the said packing, dz, rests upon the lower angular broken face a. New, as was described above, by turning the hung home in its socket the parts B and C were forced apart, but B cannot rise owing to the projections a2 on A; hence C we insure great durability to the said packing.

As a variation of forni, from the one just described, we refer to iig. 7. Here one screw, c c", answers the purpose of the two screws; c and c6 arc before shown; the screw c c is part of the lowest plate D; the plate C is arranged inside of the other parts, and the air passes through D, as shown by arrows; otherwise the arrangement We are aware that other slight variations of the arrangement first described may be made, but we hereby distipctly state that such variations have no claim to originality, being deduced from the nature of our invention, and lbeing, as equivalents, covered by this our specification. i

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, is`

1. The application of n valve or valves and capillary passages, or any equivalent devices, to permit the passage of air into a barrel, but prevent the passage of liquor out of the barrel through the bung, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the top plate B, its projections bl and recesses and bottom` parts C and D, and rubber or leather packing d, respectively, with the upper parts of the socket A, its recesses al and projections a, shelving a3, stops a1 a, and the lower parts of said socket a, or their equivalents, ns and for the purposes set forth.

8. The application of the screw c, and nut b, or their equivalents, when operating on the parts described in our second claim, as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination of tho ridge b on B, and the packing cl on C, operated in connection with the pin v1 in the groove b4 3, and the screw c, and nut b, to either p'ermit or prevent the passage of air, &c., between the plates A and C, as set forth.

5. The combination ofthe plate C, holes c, vulve L", nut d, plate D, and rubber or other packing d, as and for thc'purpose set forth.

6. The application of the packing dz, to produce, with the grooves d' and ds on D, capillary passages which permit the passage of air, but prevent the passage of Huid, as set forth.

7. The application of a key to the parts of our said bung, when operating as and for the purposes set forth.

HENRY HUFENDICK, EUGENE SPANGENBERG.

Witnesses: v

Geo. Hnarusn, Jr., H. F. Lammens. 

